Building-material-placement machine



Jan. 13 1931. c. (a. CLAPP' 197&9451

BUILDING MATERIAL PLACEMENT MACHINE Filed Jan. 8, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR GHAMS G GLAPP a ATTORNEY Jan. 13, 1931. c. G; CLAPP BUILDING MATERIAL PLACEMENT MACHINE '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 8, 1929 lNVE/VTOF? CHARLES 6. GLAPP ATTQRNEY provides a means of access to the base of the Patented Jan. 13, 1931 GHARLESG. OLA-PI, OF SAN TGARLOQYARIZONA BUILDING MATERIAL-PLAGEMENT"' nnomnn 1 Application filed January 8, 1929. Seria1 No.'331,049.

' My invention relates'to a machine for the pouring orplacement of hydraulic concrete, or other similar building material, such 'as is. :used in the construction of monolithic Bda ms, buildings, and other structures wherever mixed concrete is to be distributed and placed in forms thruout a. comparatively large area. c a

One of the objects of my "invention is to provide a means wherebythe material may be placed in any jpositionon the'work'from a centrally located tower of: comparatively low elevation thusi obviatin'g the necessity of numerous guy wires and extensive and elaborate chuting systems; another object is to provide means whereby the material may be placed within .the area of the'swing; of a revolving cantilever beam and from {either side of the tower without change of position of thesuper-structure; a further object is .to afford a means whereby distribution and placement of thematerial may be eifected within a minimum time after the mix, and with a minimum of power expended in'lifting the materialto the point of distribution in the tower. Other objects will appear hereinafter.

I attain these objects by the device illustrated in the accompanying drawings-in view of the entire machine; Fig. 2, represents a plan view; Fig, 3, represents an enlargedf v fractional view of one corner of ing and lifting mechanism 7 p Similar numerals refer tosimilar parts l -thruout theseveral views; t l

, The tower 2 rests upon-beams 21and 22,

the supportformed in the wallsot the shaft-720a left structure 20 when it is desired to concrete mixer at the base, c p 'Upon this tower the cantilever beam 3 rests, being supported by trunnion wheels 4 place the running on the annular track The wheels 7 4- are "iounnaled to the lower longitudinal members of the beam, while the track is made an integral part ofjthe tower structure. On

tower; -14 may be extended with its skip guides to reachtheloading platform for the skips, which may remain atthe bottom er "the shaft, ormay 'be'later established at an ,vvhich Fig. Lrepresents a side elevational" either sideof and within the beam '3 @011 veyo'r belts '6 and- 6 run on rollers 7 and v '7 and '8 and 8', and are'driven thru gearing by electricmotors Qand 10 in the direction indicated.

Materialis hoisted from the shaft 20a in skips 11 and 11" running in the conventional "mann-erby'a cable over sheaves13 and in the elevator tower 14 positioned-within the'tower 2 and provided with skipguides'. This inner intermediate position, as the building of the structure progresses. The skips dump into hopper 15in the usual conventional manner by tripping horns integral with the hopper structure. Thishopper is also equipped with a; conventional discharge regulation gate thru which the material flows into the circular 1,7. As the 'bealnj'swings on the tower 2 the distance between the discharge chutelon hopper 15 and the corresponding. place of receiving this discharge on chute 16 will. vary. Since it is desirable to keep this distance uniform, to prevent splashing and disturbance ofthe mix, the hopper 1 5 is suspended on'cables running over pulleys'12v. and 12 by 'means of which its vertical positionon tower2 maybe changed and a vertical p adjustnientthereby effected. the ends of which are supported in niches" From the conveyor belts the material is thru'the/fiexiblefchutes 35 and'. Trippers 1 Brand 1:8"areslidable. along the railsfia and -66, and 6a and 67)';thusenablingthe chutes 35 and 35"to reach any part of the structure $5 being poured within the circumference ofthe lswingof the beam 3 andas far beyondthis as the chutes themselves will reach. The beam 3 maybe turned manually by cables attached. to its ends ormechanically by electric motors am-1 '10 operating 'thru appropriate clutch and gear mechanism on a large annular gear on the inside of the track 5.

The tower 2 is shown in the preferred form as having a square cross-section. It is built mainly of angle-steel in the conventional manner having cross beams, as 34, dividing it intosections which are braced by the usual lattice construction. The lower ends of the corner members are welded onto tour cylinders 25 which are tied into the structure by cross-beams and lattice members asshown in Fig. 3. Within these cylindersthe piston rods 30 operate. Glands 31 are used to sealin these pistons; the rods themselves acting as pistons, and terminating in feet 38 which rest upon cross-beamsQl. The weight of tower 2 rests mainly on these two beams 21 (only one otwhichisshown. in Figs. 1 and 3, but which are identical, each being under two legsof thetower). All the'sebeamsare hinged in the middle as shown at 26 'inFig. 3. They'oke 27 connects the 'hingef26 to the rods 28 and 28 and turnbuckle: 35.- -The upper rod 28f is anchored tocross-beam 234i by the support 38. Upper beams22are; posi- Jtioned under cross-members, one of. whichv is indica-ted 1n Flg. '3 marked. 34. ,They;are.

equipped with turnbuckles, and stirrupretaining means similar to the lowenbeamsZl.

Asthe'work advances and it becomes necessary to raise the tower-2,.upper beams 22 are broken at the hinge, bent upward; and given a position similar tothat of the lower beam as indicated by the dotted. lines, Fig. 3.

In this positionthe ends otthe teetofthe beam are drawn toward the tower'soasnot' to strike the side walls ofthe shaft. lt is necessary to raisethetower slightly to ac:

= complish this, since there is a slight downward turning moment of the ends of 22Qas it is bentupward in'the middlef-l ljhe' tower 2 is then raised by forcing oil or. other suitable fiuidthru ports 37. interconnectedby pipingto all cylinders. The four cylinders,

comprising as they do a; hvdraulic liftingmechanism are thus madeqth lift the entire structure a distance ofa littlemore thana tobe straightenedand its ends forced into inches 24', thus forming atemporary {supof the turnbuckle and drawn uptog'theposie :tion indicated by the dotted'lines. Theupperrod ofthe turnbuckle is then r'emovedtrom its support 33*leaving the beam supportedj by hcon'veyl'ng mechamsm Operatmg m smd beam' the stirrups 99. Pressure is'then reversed in'the cylinders Q S'and the pistons, together sure to a position such that when the beam "cppositesidesof the shaft 20a within which the tower is shown to be mounted.

' "It is to be noted that if the situation of the structure beingpoured is'such that the -con-' cre'teis conveniently mixed at a point above the top of the tower, such as the side wall of a canyon in; which a dam structure is. being -,built, the hoisting skips and mechanism need not be used, and theinaterial may be directly .chuted into the hopper 15 by gravity.v The; principle ,ofdistribution and placement, how- .ever, together with the method of elevationo the tower would be the same. 7

I Having ,now, ,fully described; invention, andirealizingthat'to those familiar with the=' art-,Ivarious changes inthe specific. structure herein described might be made, which would, nevertheless, remainnvithin the splrlt of my invention, as hereindisclosed, I wish to be'limitedonly by the following claims,

5 a deviceiot the disclosed, bina'tion, a central. supporting tower, an annular track attached towthe upper portion of said supporting tower, auhorizontal compos-,

ite beam centrally-positioned onsaid supporting tower, supportedonjrollers run- 1 ning o n said annular traclnconveying mechaiiism operating longitudinally within ,said beam,- tri:pping mechanism movable longitu-a;

dinally on said beam and adjustable convey ance chutes from said'tripping' mechanism to the'place of'deposit.

Inadeviceof thefkind disclosed, incombination,a fce'ntral supporting-tower; an an- "nulartrack attached to the cupper portion of said supporting tower; a horizontal compossection, and enough to permit the upper heam I V porting tower, supported onrollers runn ng on said annular track; conveying mechanism;

itejbeam ecentrallypos'itibned 'on said supoperating longitudinally within said beam; tripping. mechanism, movable along.-s a1d beamp adgust'able conveyance troughs adapted to convey material from said tripping mechanism to, the fplace of deposit;

means for conveyance of material onto said 3. In a'device of the kind disclosed, in com ,bination, a supporting tower having-aneunular'supportlng track upon its upper ,por- .t on; arotatable cantllever ,beam' centrally I p 1 V ,p o'sitioned and supported on-said tower by 1s again straightened its ends will engage niches, such as section of the inner tower including-the necessary sk p guides means of rollers running on said supporting track; a hopper p'ositioned on said: support ing tower adapted to receive and discharge material a tilting circular chute cooperative with said hopper and adapted. to convey material upon either of two conveyor belts operating in said beam; lateral conveying mechanism mounted upon said beam; trip-, 7 ping mechanism, adapted to remove material from said lateral conveying mechanism and being movable along said beam; and means to receive material from said tripping mechanism and convey same by gravity to the place of deposit, on both sides of said tower. I

' CHARLES G. CLAPP. 

